Jim Schomaker gives us a visual tour of Bush’s Pasture Park at its spring peak in this special photo album. He captures lush scenics from the Rhododendron Hillside and around the Bush House Museum and Conservatory. While there’s always something in bloom throughout the year, spring is the park’s standout season. Jim’s photographs show you…
The recent CARES Act, passed to provide relief during the coronavirus outbreak, changes the way charitable deductions will work during the 2020 tax year: Taxpayers who do not itemize deductions when filing will be able to deduct charitable contributions of up to $300 when calculating their adjusted gross income. Taxpayers who do itemize deductions will be…
The Statesmen-Journal reported today that the Salem Art Fair has made changes to better protect the Oregon white oaks during the event. Reporter Stacy Loew writes: “The Salem Art Association has put on the annual three-day festival for seven decades, growing it from a handful of local artists near the Bush Barn Art Center, to…
Michael Slater stepped down as MSPC president on March 31st. The board elected Christine Chute as the new president. Michael served as MSPC’s first president and managed the Conservancy’s day-to-day work for the past 30 months. During his term, the organization evolved from the Friends of Bush Gardens to the Mission Street Parks Conservancy, installed…
Thanks to the generosity of MSPC members, we were able to contribute 17 new and carefully selected ornamental trees to Bush’s Pasture Park, including: Acer palmatum ‘Green Cascade’ Acer palmatum ‘Aconitofolium’ Acer palmatum ‘Fascination’ Cornus mas ‘Golden Glory’ by Mark and Sharon Krimmel Gleditsia triacanthos f. inermis ‘Skyline,’ by Wally and Carlene Benson on behalf…
The Marion Cultural Development Corporation provided $1,100 to the Conservancy for a project to label the landscape beds in the park’s northwest corner. That area of the park has 50 distinct landscape beds but the beds have never been interpreted for the public. On completion of the project, each bed will have a post with…
Today brings to a close the 2019 gardening season for Mission Street Parks Conservancy. Our hardy, talented and good looking band of volunteer gardeners contributed 1,545 hours to the care of the park’s 50 plus landscape beds and greenhouse plants. Over the course of this year, they planted over 100 trees and shrubs, hundred of…
The volunteer gardeners with the Mission Street Parks Conservancy returned today to the corner of Church and Bellevue, where we’ve been working to improve the landscape. Last year, the team came in to weed and mulch. We returned today to remove any remaining weeds and plant some shrubs and native ground cover. Plants include an…
Mission Street Parks Conservancy and the City of Salem reviewed the Bush Pasture Park tree collection this summer. We identified 12 trees for removal. These trees fit one of several criterion: dead or dying, hazardous, or impinging on another, more valuable tree. (There are other criterion that did not come into play, such as diseased…
The start of the raining season in the Willamette Valley means that it’s time to start planting trees and shrubs. The cool, wet weather allows plants to get established before they face the stress of our hot and dry summers. The first trees to arrive for fall 2019 include ‘Golden Glory‘ Cornus mas, ‘Prairifire‘ crabapple,…